Resist the devil .... hunting that lion

Yesterday, we studied the verses where Peter tells us to be self-controlled, to be alert, to resist Satan, and to stand firm in the faith.
We noted that there are three main ways that people use to hunt lions in the wild.....maybe those three ways can tell us how believers can resist the lion, Satan, and make him run!
The first method we discussed was "spot and stalk." In the wild, the hunter watches carefully to find a lion, and then grabs the biggest gun possible, in order to kill the lion with one shot.....one shot HAS to do it, because the lion is exceedingly dangerous. If he is only wounded, he will attack wildly and ferociously, and the hunter is in terrific danger.
Well, resisting Satan is no different...... we must resist him with all that we have, once we spot him. If we allow him one inch in our lives, he has an open invitation to wreak havoc in our lives, our relationships, even our mental health. His lies and innuendos will fester and blister us and grow. His half-truths will cause us doubt, and tear holes in our faith.
Paul said:

...and do not give the devil a foothold. (Ephesians 4:27)

What a very short verse, with such a potent message! Paul also told us:

But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. (Ephesians 5:3)

Not even a hint!
That's why when we are resisting Satan, we must get rid of the temptation, the sin we are faced with, with one shot.
Do we have an addictive personality? Does addiction run in our family? We must avoid completely any situation where we know there will be drugs, alcohol, or gambling.  Are we plagued with depression? We must avoid completely certain kinds of music, and concentrate on positive, uplifting songs.  Are we tempted sexually by a coworker or acquaintance? We must avoid them as much as possible, or at least avoid being alone with them.
Our children and grandkids must see our example, for their souls' sakes, to completely avoid the temptations that would cause us to fall.
We must resist Satan with all of our Bible knowledge, spiritual willingness, prayer, and common sense  --  so that when he comes around, we can get rid of him with one shot! We don't want him to only be wounded, and stay around, more ferocious than ever.
The second way to hunt lions that we noted yesterday is the one called "baiting." A hunter is high in a tree, or in a specially constructed hunting blind. That's an enclosure that is camouflaged to conceal the hunter's presence, so that he can be safe from the wild animal he is hunting. Even being "upwind" from the animal will help keep the hunter safe.
Resisting Satan can be much the same..... to do this, we must first have a blind. We need a safe place to be while we are resisting the devil. I believe the church is a good place to fit this need; we can be safe instead of being exposed to the roaring lion.
Luke wrote in Acts:

Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:46-47)

The writer of Hebrews said:

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:23-25)

Coming to church and worshiping recharges our spiritual batteries so that we can resist the devil. It also allows us to serve others and exercises our gifts, making us stronger. Coming to church gives us a chance to dig deeply into the Word -- more ammo in our spiritual "gun." Fellowship with other believers gives us more strength. And participating spiritually creates a barrier between us and Satan.

The third way of hunting lions in the wild is the one called "hounding." A large number of specially trained dogs are used to track and immobilize the prey - to put him out of action. Making sure that the encounter is not one-on-one; having back up means you can keep the lion at bay.
It can be that way with resisting Satan, too. This would mean that we surround ourselves with believers in Jesus who will pray with us, and will keep us accountable. It's easy to fall into a "lone ranger" mentality and think that we are just fine on our own. It's also difficult sometimes to open up with other people who may ask, "How is your relationship with God?" Many of us resist that, and feel it's a pretty private question.  But that's not correct. Having a few godly believers around us who support our close walk with Christ is more resistant to Satan than almost any other strategy we might try.
Accountability to each other is in the Bible, too!

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. (I Corinthians 12:27)

Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. (Colossians 3:16)

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. (Hebrews 3:13)

At the start of this study, we mentioned some lions.....the cowardly lion, the lions in "Lion King," and others.....not very intimidating, eh? But Satan is not that kind of lion. He is a lion that is prowling around, hunting us, roaring....he's looking for the exact right time to pounce.....he is searching out our weaknesses......his claws can dig in where it hurts most....
Peter tells us to be self-controlled and alert. To resist the devil. We can do that by being watchful, and getting rid of temptations in one shot. We can do that by being active in a community of believers. We can do that by asking for prayer and accountability from trusted believers.
And we can do that by trusting the Lion of Judah to help us.

Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. (Revelation 5:5a)

But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. (II Thessalonians 3:3)

Thank you, Lord!